Office on the Green - Why Businessmen Love Golf

Guest golf blogger Colin Knight is an avid golfer and traveller.  Having played all over the world, he now enjoys a quieter life working with Belmont Lodge in Herefordshire, England. 

Here is Colin's take on why businessmen love golf and unwritten rules which can broker business deals.

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Golf has a strange audience compared with other sports like cricket, for example. Unless you're an avid golfer, then you would likely find it hard to understand what the attraction is and why so many business deals are signed and sealed on the golf course. 

Two businessmen playing racket-sports, knocking a tennis ball back and forth to each other, may seal a deal afterwards but, with golf, deals are completed and finalized during the game.

A round of golf can take approximately four hours, which we all know is much longer than would be normal if there weren’t other goings on.  The majority of a golf game is walking, planning and yes, talking. Golfers like to show their prowess on the course and for some reason, it can broker business deals.

It is almost an unwritten rule, that a good player (with a solid golf swing) will have an astute and charismatic business mind. Perhaps the rules of golf, which are so law-abiding and strict, has something to do with this idea. Golf is a game of precision and integrity. It has finesse and flair from the clothing to the game itself, and it also has an element of mutual honesty: being a great golf opponent means having to trust and be honest with your most bitter of rivals. 

The golf "fraternity" appear on many boards of global corporations. Golf requires a certain coolness and stridency under extreme pressure. To an unskilled eye, golf looks terribly boring. Hitting a ball, walking to it, hitting it again and then more walking, it must, let's face it, look a bit daft and a waste of time. 

However, to the golfer and their colleagues, it is a huge affair with many Friday afternoons spent finalizing the week on a course. Some companies offer golf membership as part of a remuneration package and it’s almost compulsory to play the game at higher levels. Interviews have been completed on golf courses, although beating the CEO of a company you are trying to impress may not be one of your finest moments. That said, you would be admired. 

Perspective clients are tempted out onto the golf course to put together a plan of action. Sales and marketing managers, who have to be connected to the world in their fast-paced jobs, may balk at the idea of being disconnected from the world for hours, but a game of golf and the bonding that seems to follow is surely a more direct way of interaction than an impersonal tweet or email.

While a group of builders may not understand golfers completing deals on the course and make fun of 'girly golfers in colored trousers’ and ‘pen-pushers should get a real job' they will never have what two opponents and friends in business have on a golf course. It truly is all hearts and flowers bonding and there are few finer ways of securing a deal than on a golf course.

Thanks again to Colin Knight from Belmont Lodge in Herefordshire, England! Learn more about Belmont Lodge on Twitter and Facebook.

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Which Golf Irons are Best for Beginners?

Outside of participants who enjoy the sport, many simply don't understand the inherent pleasure in playing golf with friends, enjoying a serene nature-filled atmosphere and the feelings conjured up when you hit a 'perfect' shot. This week, guest writer Angela Halpert offers Golf for Beginners readers a look into her ongoing quest to find the perfect golf irons to improve a beginners' golf game.

 

GFB wishes to remind golfers that it's the Indian, not the arrow, that makes for a good golf game, but... the right set of clubs and proper instruction work wonders!

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Beginners might ask the question, “Well even if I wanted to start, how would I do that?” We all know how confusing it is when, at first, we looked at people playing golf and wondered why they needed so many clubs and deliberated on the differences between them, right? 

 

Here are a few golf irons which I tried out: will a new set will find a place in my bag? Whether it be a new set of Adams Golf, Callaway or just sticking to what is already in my bag, I'm personally looking forward to a new season playing with my golf buddies!

 

The Adams Idea CMB Irons

"...the most playable player's irons?"

 

A fine-tuned instrument of golf, these irons were quite impressive to me when I saw them and had a chance to try them out. One can see that Adams lovingly crafted them with the intention of perfecting already existing designs through the implementation of materials meant for fine-tuning golf club performance.

 

When it comes to looks CMB Irons will definitely impress you with their sleek look and chrome hues. Looks, however, tell only half of the story since the real magic begins inside the construction of the iron itself.

 

The fine CMB body is forged from carbon steel with a very nice strategically placed tungsten inserts which balance the center of gravity in such a way that it allows exceptional precision. I'm usually not one to praise products much but these irons felt very nice and helped prevent twisting just like it was designed to do.

 

I have to admit that, after trying these Adams irons, my accuracy was much better with the shorter clubs but that is to be expected since everyone has minor differences in how they handle hitting. My overall opinion is that the CMB's are a great set of irons which offer exactly what the company intended them to be. I've been using the CB3 for a while now, once again an Adams design, and I pretty happy with mine so far.

 

Callaway Golf Diablo Forged Irons

 

 

Much like the CMB irons, these Callaway Diablos are also forged and a few of my friends are using them which sparked my curiosity. Jokingly, a coworker of mine decided to swap our sets for a game!

 

The difference for me was that the Diablo hit even lower when I handled them and, to me, that was a bit strange. I have to admit, though, that if I would choose another set, these would be a very nice choice ... if you can get past the uniflex shaft that never felt right to me, but that could be just a personal preference since I've always loved to swing fast.

 

Diablos are easy to use and pretty durable which was nice. One thing to keep in mind is that they are currently cheaper than the CMB and they make an excellent tool even for golof beginners because of their flexibility.

 

My overall opinion of the Callaway and Adams Golf irons sets are that both impressed me. I have to admit I have been a fan of the products offered by Adams for a long time now but that shouldn't be taken as if I am marketing them.

 

Everyone has personal preferences since we all have our own quirks when we play, different stances and varying levels of skill. These clubs are just the types I liked out of what I've tried so far in my life as a casual golfer. There are plenty of companies out there offering good equivalents to those such as Ben Hogan, Cobra, Dunlop, Hippo and so on. Just take your pick and remember to enjoy yourself out there.

 

Which irons do you play and what makes them special for you?

 

Guest post by A. Harpert - a passionate traveler, golfer and adventurer by hobby. She's a real expert at finding the most appropriate holiday rental condos for your long anticipated vacation.

 

photo credit: frgolfonline.com

 

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How @ATT (and your teen) Can Give You A #GiftMoneyCantBuy Golf Tip from Keegan Bradley!

To start the New Year off right, AT&T is running  the “A Gift That Money Can't Buy" website, a site that allows teens to give their parent a one-of-a-kind digital gift. The site also nudges the recipient in the right direction of what to get for their kids, which is …hint hint, the latest and greatest AT&T smartphone – specifically a Nokia Lumia 920.

 

So parents get a cool gift and so do their kids!

 

 Check out these great gifts available on the GiftMoneyCantBuy Website:

- A top secret golf tip from Keegan Bradley

- A holiday feast prepared by celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio

- A Very, Very, Very Personal Greeting from Luke Perry

- A Guitar Solo from Richie Sambora []

- A joke handed down from comedian Richard Lewis

- A cameo in this month's "The Onion"

 

I just received the Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T's A Gift That Money Can't Buy campaign and can't wait to try it out!  The Nokia Lumia 920 is very user friendly right out of the box, with a big 4.5-inch HD Capacitive Multipoint-Touch screen (so no squinting necessary) and a Snapdragon™ S4 Processor which flies through tasks with it’s powerfully fast CPU…I think I’m going to love this phone!

 

Follow @ATT on Twitter - #giftmoneycantbuy

 

photo credit: conversations.nokia.com

Disclosure statement: M80 has contacted Golf for Beginners to write a blog post on behalf of AT&T.  Golf for Beginners is receiving free products as compensation in exchange for participation and is being compensated per FTC guidelines. http://ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedend  #SPON

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Without Tiger Woods Golf Industry Explodes

Golf's billion-dollar economic impact is not dependent on Tiger Woods.

 

 

The World Golf Foundation released a report on the economic impact of the sport and found that the industry is significantly "bigger" than the motion picture and recording industry combined!

 

Charities have also benefitted from the game, to the tune of almost four billion dollars, more than any other sporting activity. Golfers are generous!

 

A press release in my email about the study, entitled "Golf 20/20", provided confirmation that golf has grown from sixty-two billion dollars in 2002 into a seventy-six billion dollar business, creating almost two million jobs in its development.

 

So, for all of the worriers (including Jack Nicklaus) who believe that the game of golf is dying, think again. Whether or not Tiger Woods ever plays again, or if cities like Tucson need to reassess the number of municipal golf courses it operates, the future is looking bright and game will go on.

 

Golf will have to change with the times, perhaps incorporating social media strategies and improving the value for the masses, but it is vibrant and more than just an enjoyable pastime, for many fans, players and businesses, it's a way of life!

 

Your thoughts?

 

Golf 20/20 Mission Statement: to galvanize the industry around strategic initiatives and grass roots activation to ensure the future vitality of the game of golf.

 

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Golf Horoscope for 2013

Even though the foremost astrologers utilize the aspects of the planets and stars at a given moment, the future still remains unpredictable. Utilizing the past as a barometer, Golf for Beginners makes several predictions on the future of the game and some of its players in 2013.

1. Tiger Woods will win two golf tournaments this year and one major event. Based upon his past performance in the majors, the current number-two money leader in the world will win the PGA Championship...it's about time to collect another Wanamaker Trophy, isn't it? On his golf blog Woods said, "Looking ahead to next year, I'm just trying to win those big four tournaments."



2.The Rory McIlroy-Tiger Woods competition will continue to heat up and fans will see several final round close calls this season. McIlroy will easily win the Masters after remembering what he said after squandering a four-stroke lead at Augusta in 2012. "I'll get over it," said Rory, "it was a character-building day, put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it," and so he has with his major victory in 2012 at the PGA Championship.

3. The 2016 Anchoring Ban (belly putter) will force advocates such as Webb Simpson to change their putters and revise their putting strokes. Watch for new and unpredictable grips for belly-putter golfers and for new equipment on the golf course. Will we see Keegan Bradley trying out a new claw grip this season?



4. The LPGA future will further take root in Asia. American LPGA golfers will be asked to learn Korean and Mandarin to keep up with the further globalization of the Tour. Instead of "foreign" Tour players being penalized for not speaking English, ladies such as Cristie Kerr on the LPGA will brush up on Korean to follow the sponsors, "follow the money".

Could it be that, down the road, American LPGA golfers will be penalized for not speaking Korean?



5. Two female members will be allowed to join Muirfield's "Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers" (so one can play golf with the other without disturbing the men) with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club following suit after much ballyhoo.

Stay tuned for mystical Tarot predictions by Stacy Solomon throughout the 2013 golf season!

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A Hole-in-One Christmas for Mobitee Mobile Golf App purchasers

In the spirit of giving, Mobitee Mobile Golf Assistant has announced that it will be offering a thirty percent discount on its GPS golf app to iphone, Android and Windows phone users throughout the end of the year.

The innovative virtual golf coach says gift-giving should be easy and should keep on giving.  Instead of the usual stocking stuffer, Mobitee’s user-friendly rangefinder, shot tracker, flyover video, club recommender and scorecard will allow both the beginner and advanced golfer in your life the ability to improve his or her game. Thirty-five thousand golf courses allow you to take...and use... Mobitee anywhere in the world.   And, as Mobitee says, “it’s so easy even an adult can use it!”

“Mobitee is not a simple gadget application or a very complicated software,” says Stan Chapus, CEO of Mobitee. “It is a real tool to help every golfer.  It is a virtual caddie, a reliable golf companion.”   

 

The thirty percent discount has been applied directly at the point of sale so neither codes nor special coupons are needed!

Here are the links to download Mobitee on iTunes for iPhone and iPad users, on Google Play for Android phones (like my Samsung Galaxy S3 (which I LOVE) and through Facebook.

You can communicate directly with Mobitee either through email: info@Mobitee.com, via Facebook and through Twitter.

Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and the best of wishes to everyone this festive season. May you get what you want and may joy act as your umbrella.

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